A Pickup Load of Pigs: The Feral Swine Pandemic Video

Feral swine pose a significant risk to Michigan's wildlife, ecosystems and agricultural resources, and they are a serious disease threat to humans, wildlife and domesticated pigs. Once populations are established, feral swine are an unsolvable problem, but Michigan has a good chance of eradicating these pigs if we act now.

A director's order was signed in December 2010 to make feral swine and wild boar an invasive species in Michigan. The order has an effective date of July 8, 2011, giving the state Legislature time to enact laws to provide regulations for facilities that currently provide wild boar breeding and hunting. If legislation is not passed to regulate the facilities, the invasive species order will go in to effect, making it illegal to possess wild boar in Michigan.

The following video, A Pickup Load of Pigs: The Feral Swine Pandemic - made available by the Mississippi State University Extension Service - addresses the issue of wild pigs as a nuisance species of growing concern. The film discusses the biology, behavior and distribution of wild pigs, and the damage and threats they present to native wildlife, agriculture, forestry and public health in the United States. It also provides landowners with instruction of legal methods for controlling wild pig populations and damage on their property. Finally, the film demonstrates to policy makers and the general public that wild pigs are in fact a nuisance species that cause considerable ecological and economic damage (current estimates = $1.5 billion annually).

Part 1 of A Pickup Load of Pigs: The Feral Swine Pandemic - Natural History